A review by booksabrewin
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

5.0

Hallie is the token wild child of her small town. She sticks to no schedule and does what she believes is right even if the methods at which she accomplishes these goals are riddled with chaotic energy. She is the type that will commit small acts of vandalism and theft in order to show support for a locally forgotten wine store her grandmother used to frequent before she passed. She is also the type of gardener who would show up an hour and a half past the time she was supposed to be there to revamp the Vos's estate. The last time she had set foot on their property had been when she was fourteen and almost had some serious lip-lock with Julian Vos. But at fourteen the opportunity had come and gone. Julian went off to college to become a ivy league professor and Hallie had remained with her grandmother taking over her business. Her crush on Julian had lasted for fifteen years and she wondered if he was the same as he was when she had first known him. Julian was anything but. In his place was a grumpy professor turned aspiring author who stuck to a strict schedule and resented Hallie her carefree nature. They were so completely opposite that there was no way they would ever work. But for some reason they both feel the pull towards one another that is inescapable. Which leads Hallie to drunkenly write Julian an anonymous love letter confessing her feelings about him which makes the professor consider maybe people can change if given the right motivation.

I have always been a dark romance girlie for years. I only recently started venturing into the world of romantic comedies when I started reading Lucy Score books. This was my first Tessa Bailey book and it did not disappoint. I now understand why people find her writing to be so addictive. I was hooked from the first chapter on and couldn't put it down for two days straight. The characters she created were infectious and personable. The town she wrote about made me wish my own small town was a little more connected and loyal like theirs was. It gave some really good insight into anxiety disorders and the affects they have on people. It expressed the importance of family and the ability to communicate effectively with one another. One of the facets I enjoyed the most was watching the characters change for the better but they didn't change for each other, they changed for themselves. They realized their shortcomings and flaws and worked to correct them. It was great to watch them each have their own moments of personal growth.

I laughed, cried, swooned, and raged from one page flip to the next. Bailey took me on a rollercoaster of small-town living with two wounded but not broken people who were so different but fit so perfect together. If you have not read any of Tessa Bailey's books yet, I would highly recommend you start. She is a master of her craft and I can't wait to devour the rest of the books she's published.